Career advice for freshers in the Post Pandemic World

Many of us have seen a lot of ups and downs in our respective careers, hence somewhat prepared to face the upcoming challenges in the post pandemic world. But what about those who are recent (< 1 year) graduates or those who are about to enter the job market in the not so distant future? What do they have to look forward to in this terrible worsening environment? In fact, their chances of getting a job have totally evaporated as the unemployment rate shoots up due to the impending economic downturn. Moreover, we all are facing a titanic shift in the working world, where mega-disruptions, such as gig workers (free-lancing), could significantly curtail the classic permanent, time-based salary structure into output-based compensation structures.

What advice can we, the experienced people, give to the new workforce, so that they are somewhat prepared to deal with the challenges ahead? This note, addressed to the freshers, attempts to share the benefits of my years of experience and provides some thoughts and ideas which may be of some use to them, as they embark on their career journey. I’ve summarized them into three broad categories, all mutually exclusive, and hence can be taken up concurrently.

A)  Job Search – Start somewhere, anywhere:

Given the ever-increasing competition, it’s always good to have a job in hand. It may be any job, not your best option, nor something you may want to keep for too long, but don’t give up on any opportunity that comes your way. This opportunity may only be a temporary/part-time project or assignment. At a bare minimum, it will benefit you from three aspects:

1) Bring in some money, to pay the bills!

2) Give you some work experience, plus the maturity that comes with it, and

3) Opportunity to make friends and network, you never know who may come to help, and when in the future. 

And the job search does not stop even when you have landed your first job. These days, this is an on-going exercise, since the first assignment becomes a stepping stone for the second and so on. So, the quicker you master ‘the art of job search’ the better, which is also why networking is very critical, since the best chance of landing a new job/assignment is through ‘word of mouth’.

B)  Self-development and continuous education:

Learning does not end with you getting a degree (or professional certificate) as these are just door openers, to get you interviews. Make it a point to continue to invest in yourself, your knowledge and skill base, and also YOU, as a brand. The world is changing so fast, you would want to have a window seat on the ‘bullet train’ to see what’s going on and where you are headed. Need of the hour is ‘something extra’ which gives us the edge, over and beyond the basics!

Pick an area of interest and get to know it very well, to the extent that you may be considered somewhat of an expert in the field! At a minimum, master the IT aspects of the profession you wish to pursue, as this will always be relevant. While you may not want to specialize too early, you may still want to deep dive into some area(s) to judge your level of aptitude and/or to get a sense of future prospects. This time investment is therefore, very crucial.

C)   Entrepreneurship - Pursue a passion and try to convert to start-up!

Marrying your passion with your career is where the future is. Everyone has some area of passion, perhaps not directly connected with immediate career goals. It could be a peripheral hobby/vocation – like learning a music instrument, acting, cricket, writing, or science/technology experimentation, or whatever! Find your area of passion and immerse yourself in it, for at least for some hours, every day. It may start off as just time pass, or a desire to do something big one day! Better still, find some like minded friends (with similar passion and burning desires) and explore/practice with them to bring in some discipline.

Next, consider the possibility of converting this passion into a possible vocation or start-up business through trials, stints, projects or assignments. Both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs started off by tinkering in their garage with their passions. You will not only enjoy the process but also the small successes that come your way. You never know, these could take on a momentum of their own. At a minimum, they will teach you softer skills of problem solving, decision making and risk taking!

We never know what we are destined for, but we have to keep trying!

All the very best!